Biography

William Sanderson was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, in the shadow of Elvis Presley. It was not unusual for Bill to see his hero in the streets of Memphis. He took to following Presley, and even managed to sneak into Graceland where he was able to listen…more

Sanderson has appeared in the following productions on the New York stage: "To Kill a Mocking Bird," "Hello Out There," "When You Comin' Back Red Ryder," and "The Taming of the Shrew," as well as other shows.

Sanderson's role as Larry, along with his brother Darryl and his other brother Darryl, in Newhart was intended to be a one-time appearance. The characters were so well accepted they became regulars through the rest of the series' run.

Quotes

William Sanderson: (on his previous drinking problem) You know, there are actors who sit around and make themselves into outlaws. I would get the roles mixed up with myself. But nobody's been given more second chances than I have.

William Sanderson: (on hanging out with Elvis Presley while growing up in Memphis) I did some pretty dumb things to impress Elvis, like playing too rough in football or hitting his car too hard in the bumper cars at the park, but he never really got mad.

William Sanderson: (on pursuing acting after four years of college and three years of law school) Well, I think subconsciously I wanted to [act] all along. I probably was a coward. I was very shy. But also I had gone to a great school in high school. And my friends are lawyers and doctors, one of whom is one of Al Gore's lawyers. He was one of my closest friends in childhood. I got the G.I. Bill and at one point, I thought I would be a lawyer. But I never practiced. I never took the Bar. I went to New York and did theater. But I always loved movies and had a friend that did theater in high school and I would go see him, but way too scared to get on the stage.

William Sanderson: (on growing up in Memphis) Well, it was very exciting because that's where [Elvis] Presley was. Where he started. And the music was a fabulous inspiration, being able to see Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and it just went on and on. And I also saw the African-American entertainers from Stax Records like Sam & Dave. I don't think I saw Otis Redding, but I heard him all the time. So we had that great music and acting was the closest I could get to it.

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